Focus Day 9 Make Peace: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) How can I cultivate peace?
2) What is the fruit of righteousness?
3) How do I get wisdom from above?
James 3:13-18
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
Original Intent
1) How can I cultivate peace?
The Greek word for peace, Eirene, means “right relationships between man and man.” Author William Barclay suggests that in James 3:18, James is saying “we are all trying to reap the harvest which a good life brings. But the seeds which bring the rich harvest can never flourish in any atmosphere other than one of right relationships between man and man.” Barclay also suggests that “in the Bible peace means not only freedom from all trouble; it means enjoyment of all good.” The book of James suggests we can make peace not only by avoiding unnecessary conflict with others, but also by treating them with love and kindness. John W. Ritenbaugh also asserts, “peacemaking involves not only mediating but also everything the person is, his attitude and character as well as what he intends to accomplish. Peacemaking is a package dominated by the godliness of the person.” When we treat others with the love of our heavenly Father, we are cultivating peace with them. It is not something we can do without the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. But when we let God’s saving grace and love permeate our actions, we become peacemakers.
2) What is the fruit of righteousness?
Author Rhoderick D. Ice notes that the original audience for the book of James believed that “Goodness = righteousness. The Greek-speaking Jews put great emphasis on the ethical side of religion, and were very proud of their relationship to God. Goodness is the goal here, and it grows out of the seeds the peacemakers plant in peace.” Isaiah 32:17 also relates righteousness to peace, stating “the result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.” The apostle Paul also connects the two when he writes how the Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) Paul also teaches in Romans 5:1 that our faith in God has made us righteous, which gives us the peace of God through Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God works peace in our lives, and having God’s peace allows us to live a righteous life. When we live a life of peace, love, gentleness, and faith, we draw and encourage others to know Jesus and enjoy the fruits of righteousness in their own lives.
3) How do I get wisdom from above?
The book of James was probably written by Jesus’ brother, James, to Christian Jews around AD 45-48. It was probably the first New Testament book written. One of the main topics in the book of James is wisdom; Charles Swindoll notes that James “looks a bit like the Old Testament book of Proverbs dressed up in New Testament clothes.” According to Professor Robert W. Wall, the Hebrew word for wisdom, hokma, “suggests using our God-given intelligence to pursue the insight and know-how we need in order to negotiate life in the public square.” James was instructing Jewish Christians how to live wisely with help from God. Robert Chaffin, Jr., points out that James teaches “the ethical life flows as the fruit of God’s divine gift of wisdom.” James instructs Christians to seek wisdom from God to live the life God desires. It is not the same as the earthly wisdom of humans, which is selfish and unholy. True wisdom is a gift from God, given by God to those who seek Him to help them live a holy life.
Everyday Application
1) How can I cultivate peace?
I notice that when I argue with my loved ones, I am usually at fault. I am not saying (or at least not admitting) that I am usually wrong, but I recognize how I often refuse to be the peacemaker I know I am called to be. Sometimes I care more about being right, or getting what is rightfully mine, than I care about being like Christ. Author Stephen J. Cole observes, “If you see a church or a home where there is peace, it is because the members have worked to cultivate peace. They have listened to one another, respected one another, judged their own selfishness and pride, and sought to live in accordance with godly wisdom, not ‘worldly’ wisdom.” In the Bible, Paul also notes this in Romans 2:9-10: “There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” When I can focus more on doing what is good than on getting my own way, I am making peace with those around me and walking in the wisdom of the Lord.
2) What is the fruit of righteousness?
Author John W. Ritenbaugh suggests, “some of the fruit of righteousness are the qualities James mentions in James 3:17. Righteousness is therefore the seed from which these things grow.” Author John MacArthur concurs with Ritenbaugh saying, “Righteousness is equated with true wisdom because wisdom is righteous living.” Author Andrew Murray says, “being right with God is followed by doing right. ‘The righteous shall live by faith’ a righteous life.” So, if I am peaceful, gentle, merciful, faithful and genuine, I am displaying the fruits of righteousness. The more I let God’s saving grace work its power in my life (Titus 2:11-12), the more I will experience and display the fruit of righteousness. Being saved and transformed by God enables me to live a righteous life that will show other people the life-changing love of Jesus.
3) How do I get wisdom from above?
The book of James tells us that wisdom from God is “pure and gentle, peace-loving and
compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without pretense.” (James 3:17).
This wisdom sounds amazing, but how do we access it? One thing we can do is follow the counsel of James to those seeking wisdom. He tells them to “ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. (James 1:5) This truth is also found in Proverbs 2:5: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” We can also follow the advice in the book of Proverbs to “Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life”. (Proverbs 19:20) Wisdom also comes in knowing Jesus. I Corinthians 1:24 states, “to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Concerning Christ as the wisdom of God, author Thabiti Anyabwile asks, “Can there be a greater display of the intricate and exquisite wisdom of God than the simultaneous punishment of sin and clemency of the sinner through the crucifixion of God’s perfect Son?” God, who is wisdom, offers us wisdom through His beloved Son, Jesus, who took the punishment for our sins on the cross so we could be blameless before Him. So, if we want godly wisdom, we can ask God to give it to us, we can learn from wise friends, and we can find it in the person of Jesus. We are truly blessed to have such ready access to the wisdom that comes from God!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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